Impact of Degree Centrality, Structural Holes, and Network Density of External Corporate Network Ties on Ambidextrous Innovation

ABSTRACT In the complex and ever‐changing environment of the information age, companies face dual challenges of limited resources and the need for continuous innovation. However, the question of how to effectively leverage external resources to balance ambidextrous innovation remains underexplored in the existing literature. This paper addresses this gap by examining the role of social network characteristics, specifically degree centrality, structural holes (SH), and network density, in facilitating ambidextrous innovation. It further investigates how internal control (IC) quality and CEO duality moderate these relationships. The findings indicate that: (1) degree centrality and SH have a positive effect on ambidextrous innovation, whereas network density exerts a negative effect; (2) CEO duality weakens the relationship between corporate social networks (CSNs) and exploratory innovation (EI); (3) IC positively moderates the relationship between degree centrality and ambidextrous innovation, between SH and exploitative innovation (DI), and also strengthens the negative relationship between network density and EI. By comprehensively evaluating the influence of various CSN characteristics on ambidextrous innovation, this study broadens the scope of social network research. These findings help companies optimize their social network structure, enhance their IC systems, and refine their corporate governance, which enables them to benefit from knowledge sharing and enhance their ambidextrous innovation capabilities.